My Week 14 NFL Notebook

uploaded 12/9/19

1. The matchup between the 49ers and Saints had to be the game of the year, so far. We saw six Drew Brees touchdowns, four from Jimmy Garoppolo, and only four punts. It had a long bomb touchdown catch and pass by Emmanuel Sanders. It featured the stylistic grace of Michael Thomas and the brute strength of George Kittle. It tightened a race to the top of the NFC and foretold a wild finish that is yet to come. Just gotta love late season football.

2. Of course, it wasn’t all great as questionable officiating reared its ugly head yet again. The 49ers Trevaroius Moore was a gunner and wouldn’t be subject to pass interference, but wasn’t it holding? 

3. Okay, so if that wasn’t pass interference, then Jimmy Smith held in the Buffalo/Baltimore game, right? No? 

4. So then, what Nik Needham did in the Jets/Dolphins was okay, right? It wasn’t?

5. But what William Jackson III did wasn’t pass interference at first, but then it was later? Oh brother. I’ve had Physics tests that weren’t this complicated...

6. The Bills’ Tredavious White reacted to finding scouting photos on the field the same way I do whenever I see money on the ground.

7. Baltimore has won nine games in a row and have already scored a franchise best 429 points this season. I don’t know how teams are going to stop the Ravens from here on out.

8. The Chargers saved their best performance for a game with zero stakes against a team that mailed in their season weeks ago. A perfect metaphor for this entire franchise’s history: wholly insignificant.

9. Best catch by a player on a bad team: Terry McLauren’s spinning one-handed catch against the Packers.

10. Best catch by a player on a good team: Stephon Diggs grabbing the back end of the football against Detroit.

11. Whatever team takes on Jameis Winston as their quarterback next season will need a QB whisperer on staff and a therapist for the head coach. Winston has 26 TD passes, tied for second in the NFL. He also has 23 interceptions and five pick sixes, both numbers are the highest in the league.

12. In consecutive weeks, we’ve had kickers not doing kicker things. Last week, it was Jason Sanders catching a TD pass. This week, it was Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo running downfield and recovering a fumble.

13. And just to show more love to kickers, Sanders followed his reception with seven field goals...in a loss, but still...

14. Odell Beckham Jr wants to be traded. Color me shocked.

15. Houston follows a dominating performance against the Patriots with a mind boggling dud against the Broncos. And now, the surging Titans are tied with them atop the division. It’s just been two steps forward by the Texans, then two steps back.

16. I would never bury the Patriots dynasty prematurely. I’ve learned my lesson for the years. But I will say that in order for them to win, New England will need their defense and special teams to be dead solid perfect from here on out. I can’t believe I’m writing this, but they can’t and shouldn’t count on Tom Brady to deliver for them this time.